Automobiles are equipped with a number of safety devices for ensuring the safety of a passenger. One such device is an airbag device which is stored within a case during normal operation of an automobile. In the event of an emergency such as a collision, an inflation gas generated by an inflator is injected into a folded airbag thereby causing the airbag to unfold.
For example, a knee-restraining airbag device that protects a passenger by restraining a knee of a passenger in a front seat of a vehicle during a collision (e.g., Patent Reference 1), is one such airbag device.
Patent Reference 1: Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2003-40069
As shown in FIG. 6, device A, which is the knee-restraining airbag used for a front passenger's seat disclosed in Patent Reference 1, is installed, for example, by cutting out a space on the under side of a glove compartment 2 which is attached to a dashboard 1.
When such a knee-restraining airbag device is used for the driver's seat, it is attached to a knee panel which is coupled to a shock-absorbing member.
Note that Patent Reference 1 makes no mention of the length of the airbag in the lateral direction of the vehicle. However, it is assumed that such a knee-restraining airbag device is used for a typical driver's seat or front passenger's seat and has an opening width of 60 mm to 250 mm.